Soeur Idols
by insomniac1970
Summary: The hottest idol group in Japan, the Yamayurikai, has just added their 9th generation members. Fukuzawa Yumi was a reluctant entrant yet she passed the audition. How will she cope with all that being a pop idol in Japan requires? Rated T for safety
1. Chapter 1

Soeur Idols

A Maria-sama ga Miteru Story

**A/N**: This might be a bit on the crack side, but it was a fun idea that I had as I was watching my brand-new Season 1 Maria-sama ga Miteru DVDs that I just got from Amazon. I hope that you all enjoy this bit of silliness.

**Disclaimer: **The characters in this story are the intellectual property of Konno Oyuki-sensei. I am not writing this story for financial gain.

Chapter One: From Today, You are an Idol!

"Well then," the producer intoned. "I would like numbers 45, 63, and 14 to step forward. The rest of you, thank you for auditioning. The talent level was really high, and I believe that you all will succeed. May Maria-sama bless you all."

As the producer finished speaking, Fukuzawa Yumi looked to her left and to her right. On the right was number 14, Toudou Shimako, a soft-spoken, beautiful girl with honey-blonde hair who just happened to dance like a prodigy. On her left, was number 45, Shimazu Yoshino. Yoshino had her twin tails braided. She was cute with mischief dancing in her eyes. Both girls were considered to be shoo-ins to be added to The Yamayurikai, the hottest idol group in Japan. The netizens gushed over Shimako's beauty and dancing ability and Yoshino's older cousin, Hasekura Rei, was already in the group, and it was her input that convinced Kashiwagi Suguru, the producer, to pass Yoshino through.

'How in the world did I pass?' Yumi wondered. 'The only reason that I auditioned was because my good friend Yoshino was so insistent. I never imagined that I would make it.' In Yumi's mind, there was nothing special about her. From her mousy light brown hair to her average figure, she had thought that it would be nice if she didn't cut prior to the audition. Yet here she was, part of the 9th Generation of The Yamayurikai with her best friend and the lovely Shimako. "I cannot believe it," she said as she fell to her knees.

"Believe it, Yumi-san," said the confident Yoshino. "I knew that you would make it. Your song choices were great. Your _Furusato_ in the first round was beautiful and choosing _Shabondama_ in the second was inspired. You showed so much personality. You were the only one not to do any Yamayurikai songs until the final round when we all had to sing _Soeur Power_." Soeur Power was the group's third number one song in a row, breaking AKB48's record for sales.

The befuddled new idol sighed, "I just love Morning Musume. Is that wrong?"

"No," the previously silent Shimako chimed in. "However, we must now pledge heart and soul to The Yamayurikai."

Both Yumi and Yoshino looked at their new band mate with surprise. Shimako spoke very little during the audition, allowing her talents do the talking. 'So cool,' they thought at the same time.

The three were lead to a conference room with a large table. They were seated in chairs behind placards bearing their names. Moments later, the producer, Kashiwagi, and his assistant, Arisugawa Kintarou, entered the room with the girls' parents, and closed the door securely behind them. Yumi tried to follow the conversation; the basic point of which was that they would be under contract until they finished high school. At that time, they could either sign a new contract, staying with the group or graduate from the group at the same time they graduated from high school.

They were expected to attend school unless they were on tour, at rehearsals, or engaged in group promotional activities. The girls were not allowed to date boys until they graduated, which made their parents happy. The last provision was that they would be assigned an Oneesama, an older member of the group that would mentor each girl. At this, Yoshino looked bored, and Shimako and Yumi apprehensive.

Kashiwagi passed the contracts to the parents, who added their hanko (signature stamp) and their signature before having each girl repeat the process. "I would like to officially welcome you three to Japan's best idol group, The Yamayurikai! Here are your Oneesamas." He pushed a button and the door opened. "Toudou Shimako, your Oneesama will be Sato Sei, Rosa Gigantea. She is the most outgoing member and she will help you to loosen up. Shimazu Yoshino, you will have two Oneesamas, your cousin, Hasekura Rei, and her Oneesama, the Rosa Foetida, Torii Eriko. Eriko will keep you on your toes and Rei, the Prince, is your childhood friend, so she will help you adjust. Last, but not least, Fukuzawa Yumi, your Oneesama will be Ogasawara Sachiko, the Ice Princess. She can be a bit harsh, but she is very professional and she will teach everything that you need to know about the business of being an idol."

While he was speaking the ladies in question quietly entered the room and sat next to their charges. There was still one seat left open, and with a purposeful stride, a girl with short black hair came into the room with roses in her arms. "Ladies, I am the leader of The Yamayurikai and Rosa Chinesis, Mizuno Youko, and I would like to welcome you to our group and to present you with these roses." She gave Yumi a red rose, and said, "Yumi-chan, welcome to the Chinesis family. Your Oneesama, Sachiko, is my petite soeur, which makes me your grand-soeur." She smirked at the brunette's confused look, and chuckled, "You will understand soon enough, so don't worry too much about it."

Youko gave Yoshino a yellow rose, saying, "Yoshino-chan, on behalf of Eriko, I welcome you to the Foetida family. Rei-san will help keep you from the worst of Eriko's mischief, but I think that you have enough grit to stand up to her."

As Youko was about to give Shimako her rose, a tall grinning girl with shoulder-length blonde hair snatched from her, and with a flourish, bowed before Shimako, "It is my pleasure to welcome such a beautiful girl to the Gigantea family, Shimako. Don't worry, I don't bite…hard."

Youko smacked the back of her friend's head, "Sei, control yourself. This girl is your sacred little sister, not a potential girlfriend."

"You-chan, you are no fun," Sei pouted theatrically before noticing Yumi. A predatory look came into her eyes, and she asked, "This little cutie is Yumi-chan, right? My petite soeur might be sacred, but she isn't, right You-chan?" She released Shimako and glided to the object her interest.

Her forward progress was stopped as a tall, raven-haired girl stood between her and a frightened Yumi, "Sei-sama, please stop this unprofessional display. You are scaring our new members and giving their parents second thoughts about letting them join us." The flirt went back to her seat, grumbling that the Chinesis ladies were both crummy spoilsports.

Eager to usher the parents out of the room before Sei did anything else crazy, Kashiwagi smoothly asked them to accompany him to his office to answer any addition questions and allow the girls to become better acquainted. He liked his choices. He was already envisioning the 9th generation's introductory concert and he even had a song idea as he copied his hero, Tsunku, in writing and producing his group's songs. 'These new girls will bring in new fans and new fans will make me more money. This is going to be awesome!'

Meanwhile, Youko decided to break the ice by having the girls ask each other questions. Yumi had always hated this sort of thing, but she went along, mostly because she was intrigued by her new Oneesama, Sachiko, who seemed so mysterious and aloof. "Sachiko-sama, you don't want to do this either, do you," she asked, noticing the older girl's attitude.

"Not really," Sachiko answered and for the first time Yumi saw her Oneesama's sapphire eyes and aristocratically beautiful face. She felt her face warm up. Sachiko saw the blush, which triggered one of her own, but she continued, "Oneesama thinks that these elementary school exercises are valuable. I just find them embarrassing and pointless. How we learn what we need to about each other, we learn in the camps that we have while we are preparing a new single. I learn what each member's work ethic is and how serious they are about being in this group. I hope that you are prepared to impress me with your attitude and hard work because I have no time to deal with the half-hearted or a girl that thinks her cute face will make her a successful idol. I have sacrificed too much for this group to let some giddy girl that Suguru-san lets in ruin it."

Yumi looked terrified at the anger dancing in her Oneesama's eyes. "Now Sachiko, you mustn't scare your imouto (little sister) too much," Youko admonished with a loving smile. "Not everyone is as intense as you are." Sachiko gave Youko a cold glare before walking off. To Yumi, "Yumi-chan, she really is a nice girl once you break through the ice. You seem to be such a sweet girl. I am looking forward to working with you. I loved your audition work. That is why I picked you. Well, I also picked you for Sachiko because I believe that you can open her heart. No pressure though, just be yourself and everything will work out."

'What have I gotten myself into?' Yumi wondered as she scanned the room for her friend. Yoshino was trapped by Eriko in a corner, looking as bewildered as she felt. Yoshino's cousin Rei was standing by her Oneesama, looking helpless. Yumi had met Rei a few times when she was hanging out with Yoshino. She seemed nice enough, but despite her bishounen (pretty boy) appearance, she was, in actuality, the type that was easily overpowered by strong personalities like her cousin's and Eriko, her Oneesama's. Yumi wanted to bail her friend out, but she felt a gentle hand grab her arm.

"Yumi-san, can we talk?" Shimako asked. Wanting out of the now-claustrophobic confines of the conference room, Yumi agreed quickly. When they were in the hallway, the honey-haired dancer sighed, "They are so different than they are in public, aren't they? I never knew that Sei-sama was such a pervert or Eriko-sama was so pushy. I thought that Sachiko-sama might be a bit of bitch, but she surprised me by how harsh she really is."

"Well, Shimako-san," Yumi responded, "I honestly had no expectations because I really didn't follow The Yamayurikai before the audition. I am a HUGE Morning Musume fan, and Yoshino insisted that I audition with her. Now that I have passed, however, I am going to work hard so that I don't drag the group down. I want to be a part of making this group the most popular in Japan!"

Shimako smiled, "Me too. I was a Yamayurikai fan before, but now that I am a member, I want to do my part and more! At least I didn't get the Ice Princess as my Oneesama!" They girls giggled.

"Yeah, you got the perverted Tanuki as yours," Yumi laughed. Shimako's giggles became a full-fledged belly laugh. Yumi's laughter subsided and she said thoughtfully, "This seems strange, but I feel like we have been friends as long as Yoshino and I have."

Shimako nodded, "I agree. I believe that the best part of this experience will be becoming friends with you and Yoshino-san."

"Well, for better or worse, we are idols now. The only thing that worries me is how much school we will be missing. My dream has always been to become an architect and to take over my father's company when he retires. I will not be an idol forever, so I need to keep my grades up so I can get into a good university when this ends."

Yumi's new friend was shocked, "Wow, Yumi-san, that is the coolest thing that I have ever heard. Most girls that become idols just think about the fame and never plan for the future. They just assume that they can be idols and they won't have to do anything else. Maybe they will marry some rich man who will help them maintain their celebrity lifestyle after their looks are gone, but that is about it."

"I don't plan on getting married," Yumi said suddenly. "I just want to be able to take care of myself and my parents and to design wonderful buildings. I don't have time for romance or anything silly like that."

Shimako looked her thoughtfully, and cleared her throat, "You told me your dream, so I'll tell you mine if you promise not to laugh."

"Of course, I won't laugh," Yumi replied brightly. "It cannot be sillier than my dream."

Sighing, the blonde looked into Yumi's brown eyes, "That depends on your definition of silly. Okay, here goes. My dream is to become a nun in a Roman Catholic convent. I think that there is something wonderful about devoting one's life to God and serving others while living simply with other women who have the same dream."

"Well, that is a big dream," Yumi reacted, surprised. "I am not a man, but speaking from my little brother's perspective, you becoming a nun would be loss to the male population."

Shimako chuckled, "Why is that, Yumi-san?"

"Well, Toudou-san, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are or what terrific style you have? You are one dead sexy girl, Shimako-san. You are definitely my brother's type, judging from the gravure magazines that he leaves all over his room."

The aspiring nun blushed, "That is not true, Yumi-san. I am just a plain girl who has trained all her life to dance. I am truly nothing special."

"Let's see about that," Yumi retorted with an evil smile. She took out her cell phone, snapped a quick picture of Shimako, and sent the picture to her brother with the question, "Yuuki, what do you think of this girl?" Faster than Shimako could blink came the response, "Holy shit, Nee-chan, who is that girl? She is freaking hot!" Yumi smirked as if she expected that answer and passed her phone so that Shimako could read the message.

Shimako turned a bright scarlet, and mumbled, "Yumi, you baka. That isn't fair. You win, I'm pretty. That won't stop me from achieving my dream."

"Nor should it," Sachiko's voice came from behind them. "If it is a true dream and you wish to work hard for it. I find it strange that the only one of you three that actually dreamed of becoming an idol was Yoshino-san. Yet, here are the two of you, one dreaming of being an architect, and the other one being a nun. You do realize that

you crushed the dreams of those girls who lost to you, and that you owe it to them to work hard and to put those dreams aside until you decide to graduate."

Shimako looked chastened, but Yumi replied coolly, "Yes, Sachiko-sama, we understand that. We will do our work seriously so that we honor those who did not pass."

The raven-haired woman smiled, dazzling Yumi, "That is what I hoped that you would say. By the way, Yumi, you should start calling me Oneesama, not Sachiko-sama. Shimako-san, your Oneesama was looking for you. She will show you to your dorm room."

Yumi gaped, "Dorm room, Sachiko-sama? What do you mean by dorm room? I thought that we would live at home when not on tour."

"Suguru-san didn't tell you," she sighed. "Well, we use the dorms for our camp while we are preparing a new single, and since we have added three new members, we will have a new single almost immediately. Besides, we will need to teach you HOW to be an idol before then: our songs, our dances, speaking at concerts, how to answer interview questions without embarrassing yourself, and developing your persona."

Shimako whistled, "That sure is a lot. How much time will we have to learn all that?"

"Well…" Sachiko began, sounding as if she didn't want to tell them. "We will likely only have a month, so we need to move you into your dorm room immediately. Yumi, you will share with me until you are out of training, and Shimako-san, I am sorry. I am so so sorry, but you will have to room with Sei-sama."

Looking a bit scared, Shimako softly asked, "Is she really _that_ bad, Sachiko-sama? She won't rape me, will she?"

The older girl laughed, "No, no, Sei-sama is all talk, but she has a one-track dirty mind, and she _never_ lets it rest. Once she finds a weakness, she will good-naturedly tease you about it forever. Plus, she snores like a bear."

"What did you say, Sachiko-chan?" A cross-sounding voice intoned, making the aristocratic-looking girl jump. "Do you want me to tell our petite soeurs your dirty little secrets?" Her target shook her head furiously. "Good. Let's go, Shimako-chan. Creepy Producer-san wants us in the dance studio ASAP to rehearse _Soeur Power_ to perform at your introduction the day after tomorrow."

"Jesus!" Yumi shouted, "So soon?"

Sachiko gently laid a hand on her newly-minted little sister's shoulder, "I'm afraid so. That's the life of an idol. It's not all sold out concerts and adoring fans. It is a lot of work and it never stops. There's nothing for it, let's go prepare. There are dance clothes for you in our dorm room. Please follow me," she finished, reluctantly moving her hand from Yumi's shoulder. "From today, you are an idol."

To be continued?

**A/N:** Well, what did you think? Did this suck as bad as I thought it did? If so, this will be the only chapter. This was just something to break my mental tension surrounding Ten Years Later. This, if continued, will be much lighter. My inspiration for this fic came from Ikemen Desu Ne and my love for Marimite and Morning Musume.


	2. Chapter 2: Why Did I Become an Idol?

**A/N**: Okay, I have had enough feedback to continue this story. Please enjoy and let me know what you thought.

**Disclaimer**: It would be silly to think that I am making any claims of ownership of the characters in this story. They belong to Konno Oyuki-sensei. I don't even dream of making anything from this. Allons-y!

Soeur Idols

Chapter 2: Why Did I Become an Idol?

"No, no, no! God damn it, Yumi-chan, you spin to the left, not the right. How many damn times must we do this," screamed Tsukushima Naoko, the choreographer. "Sorry, ladies, we have to do this again because the rookie keeps fucking up. Take five, and Yumi-chan, please get your head on straight. We have only one day to get this right. We will be using this song to debut you three on J-Melo (A/N: popular music show in Japan) tomorrow."

Yumi slumped down, exhausted. She was angry. She was frustrated. She wanted to cry, and she wanted to kill Kashiwagi in that order. 'How could someone willing put themselves through this insanity?' She looked to see what condition her friends were in. Yoshino and Shimako both looked fresh, but had sympathetic expressions. The rest of the group looked at Yumi with mixture of amusement and sympathy.

"Don't mind Tsukushima," said the gentle voice of Sachiko, her Oneesama. "She is always rough on the new members. I can see that you are working hard, and Oneesama and I are pleased with how you are doing for having had no prior training." She smiled and Yumi felt her fatigue melt away as her heart began to beat rapidly.

One thing that Yumi had learned in the last 24 hours was that she found herself flustered whenever Sachiko would smile at her or speak to her in a soft tone of voice. To be honest, her Oneesama still scared the crap out of her most of the time with her intensity though. She asked herself, 'How can someone be so gung-ho without taking a break? Is she even human?' Still, Yumi found her captivating in a way she had never felt before.

"Are you all right, Yumi-san?" Shimako asked as she sat down on floor next to her. The look of concern on her face was comforting. "It looks your Oneesama is yelling at Tsukushima for you. It must be nice to have a RESPONSIBLE Oneesama. All mine did was read manga all night last night. Sachiko-sama was right about one thing, Sei-sama does snore like a bear."

Yumi laughed, "My Oneesama spent last night listening to a new track that the Creepy Producer sent over. She was writing until I passed out. I wonder if she might secretly be the lyricist for the group."

"I don't think so," Shimako countered. "Kashiwagi-san has written every song for the group since before Sachiko joined The Yamayurikai."

The brunette rookie thought for a moment, and then she replied, "There is something strange about their relationship though. He called Oneesama after lights out and it sounded like they were arguing."

"How did you know that it was Kashiwagi-san that she was arguing with?" Shimako questioned. "It could have been any random person."

"She kept saying, 'No, Suguru-kun, I will not consider it. My mind is made up. This is what I want to do,'" Yumi responded. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that they were dating or something." Her brown eyes deadened as she speculated internally about that idea.

Seeing her friend look down, Shimako quickly said, "Maybe he is her secret older brother, and he is trying to get her to come clean about it." She was rewarded with a quick smile, and chuckled to herself, 'Yumi-san has a crush on her Oneesama. How cute! If I wasn't going to be a nun, I could see myself falling for her.'

"All right, ladies," yelled Tsukushima. "Break is over. Let's hope that the rookie has pulled her head out of her ass. We have to get this perfect as soon as possible because I am getting tired of looking at your pouty faces. Also, my friends are waiting for me at the bar. So let's go, Mama has sake to drink!"

At this, Youko had reached the limit of her patience, saying coldly, "Tsukushima-san, maybe it would be better if you went ahead and left for the evening. Your attitude toward my kouhai is unprofessional and not conducive to producing the results that you wish to achieve. We will continue to work with the new members this evening, so please go join your friends."

The choreographer blinked a couple of time after receiving the politely delivered, but stinging rebuke. "Well, I guess that might be best. You all have been doing this routine for months even prior to the release. Expect to see me in a week with the choreography to the new single, and I will work your asses harder than any of the otaku who love you dream of doing." She spun on her heel, and walked quickly out of door while pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. Happily, she inquired, "Moshi, moshi Keiko?"

"Good riddance, you nasty bitch," spat Sei, flipping off the door that Tsukushima had just walked through. "You-chan, we need to talk to Creepy Producer about firing her. We cannot have her chasing off our new members. We finally get a super-cute girl like Yumi-chan, and she has her in tears."

Before the leader could speak up, Yumi interrupted with her head bowed, "Please do not blame her, Sei-sama. I keep making mistakes. I will do better so that I am not dragging the group down."

Yumi felt a hand on each shoulder, and she looked up to see Youko on one side and Sachiko on the other. Both were smiling proudly. "We know you will, Yumi-chan," replied Youko. "Now let's have you work with your Oneesama on the choreography one on one. She is/was our best dancer before we added Shimako-chan. Sei and Eriko; I would like you to work on Yoshino's singing. Her voice was the weakest of the three. Rei, please go with them. Your voice seems a bit off today. Maybe some scales will get you back on track. Besides, your cousin could use the moral support. Shimako-chan, you are with me. We will be working on your stage presence. Everyone clear on their assignments? Good. Let's get this down tonight." Taking a quick breath, Youko looked at her watch, "We will break for dinner in ninety minutes."

"Yumi, please follow me," commanded Sachiko softly. "We will go to the small studio. By the way, have you had any dance training at all?"

Yumi shook her head, "No, I was planning on taking dance lessons before I started high school, but I got sick and I had to scramble to pass my entrance exams. So yeah, dance went from something that I was going to do to something that I would have liked to do…low on my list on priorities until now."

Sachiko pursed her lips and blew a stray lock of hair out her face as she contemplated the best way to give her charge a crash course in idol group dancing. "Well, there is nothing for it. We shall have to see where we are first and we will work on the fundamentals as we go. Let's have you dance the routine from the top." She walked over to the CD player and pushed play. "Ready?" she asked. Yumi nodded. "Begin."

Yumi pushed her way through the choreography, fumbling occasionally, but winding up in the correct forms at the end of each phrase. 'It could be worse,' she thought as finished the song with her hands and body in the right position, right on time. She looked at Sachiko, whose face was red with rage. 'Well, it was nice being an idol for couple of days…'

"What in the world was wrong with Tsukushima?" The older girl said hotly. "Yumi, you just need to polish what you are doing and you will be fine. The choreographer exaggerated your errors because of your obvious lack of dance training or experience. Please go get yourself some water while I make a phone call." Turning from her charge, Sachiko pulled out her iPhone 6 and tapped on the screen twice. Noticing that Yumi was still in the studio, Sachiko asked, "Please excuse me." Yumi got the hint and retreated from the studio as her obviously infuriated soeur was going to read someone the riot act.

In the hall, Yumi could hear Sachiko scream, "Fire that choreographer or I will! She singled out my petite soeur for ridicule all afternoon because she was in hurry to go get drunk! No, I am not babying my soeur! I resent that insinuation! I simply refuse to have her spirit broken without justification. She is getting it. She has courage and charisma and a center-worthy voice, but we cannot let her be destroyed before her debut. Go ask your new best friend, Tsunku, if you can use his choreographer. His groups always have excellent dances. No, I have finished the lyrics. I don't know how because SOMEONE was late getting me the music. It's called Miracle Meeting. It expresses our joy in adding our new kouhai. I'll email it to you tonight. Yes. I need to get back to work and so do you. Yes, she is. Shut up Suguru-kun."

After waiting an appropriate time, Yumi casually walked back into the studio, looking serious and hydrated. "Sachiko-sama, what do I need to work on?"

The raven-haired girl smiled warmly and Yumi's heart began palpitate again, "Not too much, Yumi. Let's go through the dance slowly step by step." Seeing Yumi's determined look, Sachiko favored her with another of those heart-stopping smiles.

After 60 minutes of breaking down the choreography and putting it back together, Sachiko gave Yumi a big hug, breathing, "You did it. I am so proud of you, Yumi. You have more talent than I thought you did. We got this down in an hour and it took Sei-sama the better part of a week when we first started rehearsing this song!"

Yumi felt elated until she noticed that she was being held by her Oneesama. Sachiko was surprisingly soft for having such an elegant dancer's figure. Yumi began to melt as Sachiko's warmth was invading her senses. She knew that her face was red, but she wanted to enjoy this embrace as long as possible.

Momentarily, Sachiko realized that she was still hugging her soeur and blushing, she released Yumi, stuttering, "Um, we should get back to the others. Yes, we should stay on track." She grabbed Yumi's hand without thinking and Yumi was only too happy to follow her lead.

Later at dinner, Sachiko reported on Yumi's progress and declared her ready to perform tomorrow. Rei gave a similar positive review of Rei and Yoshino's vocal readiness. Youko looked over her group with a proud smile, "This is why we are the best group in Japan! We do what we need to, when we need to, and how we need to do it. Creepy Producer-san has ordered pizza for us. It should be here shortly, so how about the kouhai make the salad and the sempai set the table?"

Sei smirked as everyone moved quickly to do what Youko had asked them to. "You are such a good slave-driver, You-chan. You do not even have to make it a command and everyone jumps right to it!" The amusement in Rosa Gigantea's voice caught Yumi's attention and she caught herself watching the two older women.

The leader's eyebrows twitched with irritation, but she kept her cool and said blandly, "I do not remember excusing _you_ from supper chores, Sato-san."

"Oh You-chan, don't be so cold," the trickster pouted. "After all we have been through together; I should mean more to you than that. At least _I_ thought so after that night in Hawaii when you…" Youko's hand made an efficient gag to prevent her friend from saying any more.

Embarrassed, Youko sighed, "Damn it, Sei. Don't say things that people will misunderstand." Looking around the room, the Rosa Chinesis whispered into her oldest friend's ear, "Don't you ever breathe a word of what happened in Hawaii or it will never happen again."

"No You-chan, anything but that!" Sei pleaded. A look of mischief crept into her eyes as she continued dramatically, "I, Sato Sei, will depart to perform my duties so that our Dear Leader will not be displeased with this poor unfortunate! Oh, the trials that a goddess must endure are too severe."

Rei, Eriko, and Yoshino erupted in laughter at Sei's antics while Sachiko face-palmed. Yumi and Shimako were nonplussed, and Youko looked like she wanted to crawl in a hole, saying, "Sato Sei, you are impossible, and I refuse to speak with you anymore tonight!"

What happened next surprised everyone. Sachiko laughed. It was not the belly laugh that Yoshino and Eriko were capable of, but still quite remarkable. 'So cute,' thought Yumi absently, and when she realized what she was thinking this, she blushed a florescent red. Her heart began to beat even harder, and she thought that she might faint. 'What is this feeling?' The other members joined the raven-haired dancer's merriment.

The next morning was a whirlwind. Immediately after breakfast, Yumi, Yoshino, and Shimako were taken to the group's bevy of beauty specialists. Hair was first. The girls had their hair washed thoroughly, trimmed, and given a new style. Gone were Yumi's pigtails and Yoshino's braids. All three girls had their hair teased to give it little more volume and sprayed with copious amounts of hairspray to keep it in place. Yumi was shocked at how much more mature she looked with just that, but more transforming was about to take place because make-up was next.

The group's make-up artist had been working with idols for years, so she was very adept at making their faces visible both on stage or on television. The young women were led to chairs and they were all but strapped in so that the artist and her team could work their magic. They had their eyebrows plucked and shaped. Foundation, eye liner, eye shadow, blush, and lipstick were all expertly and efficiently applied with little concern for the comfort of the girl sitting in the chair. Every so often, an intense light was shot into their faces, and the make-up artist would growl commands to her assistants and make-up would either be added or removed, based on her judgment. After what seemed like hours, the girls were allowed to look at themselves in the mirror. None of them recognized the woman staring back at her.

Before they could get excited, Yumi, Shimako, and Yoshino were taken to wardrobe. Over the course of the next hour, they were measured, fitted, accidentally poked with pins numerous times, and changed in and out of outfits, often leaving them wearing nothing but their bra and panties. It was in one of these nude periods that Yoshino joked, "If I had known that I would be showing my underwear to so many people, I would chosen something cuter to wear and dieted first!" She was rewarded when the others laughed.

After the fitting was completed, they were each given a pair of white slacks, white sneakers, and a black polo shirt, which had both the group's name and each girl's name, written in English. Yumi was taken aback at how different they all looked. "I wonder if this how Yossy, Charmy, Aibon, and Nono all felt this way when they joined Momusu," she said, not realizing that she was speaking aloud. She realized her error when she heard Yoshino and Shimako snicker.

Yoshino was the first to speak, "Okay, I'll bite. Who are Yossy, Charmy, Aibon, and Nono? And what is Momusu?"

Yumi was embarrassed but she was a fangirl first and foremost. "Yossy is Yoshizawa Hitomi. Charmy is Ishikawa Rika. Aibon is Kago Ai, and Nono is Tsuji Nozomi. They were the 4th Generation members of Morning Musume, or Momusu. They were my favorite generation. Shimako-san reminds me of Charmy and Yoshino reminds me of Nono." She quickly pulled up pictures of the idols on her phone, and her friends were pleased with who she said they looked like.

"But Yumi-san," Shimako started, "You don't look like either of the other two girls in that generation."

With a sad face, Yumi replied, "I know. I always wanted to be Yossy growing up, but I have been told that I look like Yaguchi Mari except I am not as short or as slutty." This was a sore subject for Yumi because she had really liked Marippe before she cheated on her husband and publicly destroyed her marriage and career.

Looking at her own phone, Yoshino shook her head, "No, you are prettier than Yaguchi. You look more like this girl." The dark-haired girl was pointing a picture of Kamei Eri. Shimako seconded that assertion, and while Yumi did not agree, she was pleased to be compared to one her favorites.

That respite was brief as the girls were quickly herded into a van with the other members, bound for the studio for the J-Melo taping. Each girl was seated next to her Oneesama. Sachiko was listening to her mp3 player with a serene look on her face. Yoshino was bouncing off the walls, talking a mile a minute to her patient-looking cousin. Youko and Eriko were deep in thought while Sei was trying to engage a very nervous Shimako in conversation.

As the van drove on, Kashiwagi was working his phone, trying to get more media present for the program, when he suddenly stood up. He exclaimed, "Holy shit! I just got us on MUSIC STATION today after our J-Melo taping! Sorry ladies, but you have double duty today." The older girls cheered with a subdued enthusiasm. "What is your problem? I have been trying to get us on that show for YEARS." Alice patted his hand to calm the producer. He muttered, "I thought that they would have been happier. MUSIC STATION is a big deal..." Yumi could not hear Alice's words of encouragement and comfort and she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

Yumi herself was simultaneously excited and scared beyond words at the news. It was bad enough that they had to perform at the first taping, but they were going to do a second as well. She sighed. Sachiko put her arms around her petite soeur and said quietly, "I would not worry too much about these tapings. They are easy, we get multiple takes, and the questions are neither terribly personal nor challenging. It is the live shows that are nerve-wracking. You never know what they are going to say or have you do."

"Thank you, Oneesama," Yumi murmured. "It is just I never thought that I would be on both J-Melo _and_ MUSIC STATION in my life, much less in the same day. I watch those shows all the time, partly because I wanted to support my favorite idol group and partly because I enjoy listening to all the acts perform."

Sachiko smirked mischievously, "That favorite idol group is now your _second_ favorite group now, is it not? It would be a shame if a member of the Yamayurikai was not a fan of the group."

Yumi gulped like a fish and stammered, "O-o-of course, Oneesama. All of my loyalty is pledged to the Yamayurikai. I just cannot treat Morning Musume like an ex-lover."

Sachiko giggled, "No one is asking you to do that, Yumi. I was just teasing you. However, when asked who the best idol group in all Japan is, what should your answer be?"

"I will say the Yamayurikai, and I will do my best to make it so, even if that means taking down my beloved Momusu," said Yumi with clear eyes.

Seeing the intensity in the younger girl's eyes, Sachiko's heart began to beat rapidly, 'Oh Yumi, what are you doing to me?' She remained deep in thought for several moments and her eyes grew sharp as if she had made a decision. The raven-haired woman felt around in her pocket, pulled out a ring with a huge diamond on it, walked to the front of the bus, and threw it in Kashiwagi's face, and yelled, "Family arrangement or not, I will not be yoked to anyone who cannot love me the way that I deserve to be loved. So Suguru-kun, I release you from our engagement, and may you and Alice-kun be happy."

As she turned to walk away, Suguru grabbed her arm, and hugged her as tears began to flow from his eyes. "Thank you, Sa-chan. This really is the greatest day of my life!" He released his now-former fiancée and passionately kissed his assistant, asking, "Alice, will you marry me?"

"Of course, Sempai," the assistant replied and they kissed while the girls hooted and cheered.

Yumi felt like she had been hit by a truck, and she asked herself, 'What have I gotten myself into? Why do I feel like I just stepped into the Twilight Zone?' These musings were stopped by the arrival of her Oneesama, who sat down elegantly, leaned over to Yumi's shoulder, and began to cry like her heart had been shattered. 'This should be an interesting taping,' Yumi thought as she comforted Sachiko. 'Oh well.'

To be continued…

**A/N**: I am so sorry for the delay. I have no excuse. I do, but no one likely wants to hear it, so I will not bore you with it. I hope that you all had fun with this chapter. I did and I am not sorry that I resolved the Sachiko/Suguru situation so early. It will give me more time to mess with Yumi. Please let me know what you thought. Thanks, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


	3. Chapter 3: Today is Your Idol Debut!

**A/N**: Well, you asked for it. Here is another installment of Soeur Idols. Please enjoy, and let me know what you thought. Thanks!

**Disclaimer**: Konno Oyuki owns Maria-sama ga Miteru. Up-Front Group owns all Morning Musume rights. I own nothing, not even the heart of Yoshizawa Hitomi, my favorite Momusu member of all time…sigh.

Soeur Idols

Chapter 3: Today is Your Idol Debut!

As the bus sped along the crowded streets of Tokyo to the NHK studios to tape the J-Melo debut, Yumi's mind was in a haze. She had spent two crazy days trying to get one song serviceable enough to make a good showing. She had learned that her Oneesama was engaged to the Creepy Producer in some sort of family arrangement when said woman broke the engagement by throwing a previously-unseen engagement ring at the man. She learned that Creepy Producer was in a love relationship with Arisugawa Kintarou (Alice), his assistant. Kashiwagi then proposed to Alice and was accepted joyfully to the delight of the members.

Now her Oneesama was crying on her shoulder. 'What sort of insane asylum have I gotten myself into?' She pondered. 'Well, there is nothing for it. I've stamped my hanko. I am committed for the next three years. Let's just go for it and not let this other craziness distract me.' Her mouth set in firm determination.

"I like that look, Yumi. It makes me happy," said Sachiko with a wan smile. "Just keep focused for these two shoots and we can take tonight to process everything that has been put on you."

Yumi favored the older girl with a smile, "I will, Oneesama. More to the point, are you alright, Oneesama?" It may have seemed like a polite question, but Yumi for reasons unknown to her, was genuinely concerned for this person that she had only met barely 72 hours ago. Sapphire eyes sparkled with affection as Sachiko gave her petite soeur a real smile, and Yumi groaned to herself, 'Those eyes again! It is unfair that someone so elegant should have such beautiful eyes.'

"I am better now, thank you. I am sorry for using you as a crying pillow. I am a bit embarrassed," the raven-haired beauty replied.

Yumi waved her hands quickly, "It's okay, Oneesama. What else can I do as your little sister, but support you when you need it? That is the purpose of the soeur system, is it not?"

Sachiko's eyes widened and then she gave Yumi a smile that made her feel warm all over. 'Oh God, am I becoming strange? I think that I am attracted to this girl. No no no no, it can't be,' Yumi chided herself. 'I am not here to fall for my Oneesama. I am here to make good music.'

Noticing her soeur's distress, Sachiko placed a gentle hand on Yumi's shoulder, "Don't be too nervous. We are all here for each other. The audience for these shoots will be really small, nothing like our tour in March will be."

"We are going on tour?" Yumi asked, simultaneously terrified and happy. She was happy that the subject changed, but terrified of the thought of the tour. "Where are we going?"

The older woman thought for a moment, and then replied robotically, as if from a computer file, "The tour is to promote your first single as a member. We will begin rehearsing it next week, by the way. We will start on Okinawa in Naha, and then we will hit Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Shimonoseki, Nagoya, Nagano, Niigata, Fukui, Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka, and then we finish with three lives in Tokyo. We will do the northern part of the country in July."

"You are kidding, right?" Yumi sputtered. "We will be hitting every major city south of Tokyo. When will we have time to go to school?"

Looking uncomfortable, Sachiko answered in a different voice than her usual crisp, professional manner, "We have tutors from Waseda University, Tokyo University, and Keio University that work with us. You will meet them next week. They are nice women, but they have gotten into the most difficult universities in Japan, so our studies will not suffer. You will be able to pass the exam into any university that you should choose after you graduate. One of our former members is working on her PhD in economics at Keio as we speak. Do not worry, Yumi. Your dream of being an architect will still be within reach after your time as an idol ends."

Yumi sighed in relief, "I am sorry, Oneesama. I have so much to work through in such a short time. Please forgive me if I worry about unnecessary things."

"Do not let it bother you," returned Sachiko. "We all went through it when we first joined. Just put one foot in front of the other, and just sing one note after the other and you will be better than fine. You will be a success. Oh look, we are here."

'Oh shit,' Yumi groaned as the bus entered the NHK campus. She was no longer concerned of her growing crush on her Oneesama. No, Yumi had much larger worries as the reality that she was going to be on television hit her like a ton of bricks. Before she could begin trembling in earnest, a soft hand grasped her own and she saw the warmth in her soeur's eyes. The brunette sighed and said, "Let's do this."

The next fifteen minutes brought the girls from the bus to make-up and from make-up to the studio. They had changed into their costumes and were on the stage ready to run their sound check. The number went flawlessly and Youko was glowing with happiness, but admonished the members to keep their focus for the real thing in another twenty minutes because after ANGERME did their sound check, they would record their performance and the interview for the broadcast.

While listening to ANGERME's song, Yoshino wondered aloud, "Why don't we lip-sync like we are going to on MUSIC STATION?"

Before Rei could warn her cousin, Suguru popped from behind her and blew in her ear. The formerly twin-braided girl squeaked in an unladylike volume, earning giggles from all of the members except Youko. "We don't lip-sync, Yoshino-chan," the producer said breathily. "We will be performing MUSIC STATION with live microphones as well."

"Why?" Shimako wanted to know. "Everyone else lip-syncs on that show. It is the worst kept secret in J-Pop."

Seeing her two of her kouhai starting to lose focus, Youko intervened, "We are doing both shows live because we have no recording of your voices. The recording that we have has our graduated Oneesamas on it. Everyone knows their voices, and no one but the staff and members know what your voices sound like." She stopped and winked at Yumi before continuing, "Besides, who wouldn't want to show off what a lovely singer that Yumi-chan is?" Yumi blushed and the staff and members laughed.

The members continued to have fun at the rookies' expense until a knock interrupted them. A hurried voice intoned, "Yamayurikai, you are on in five. Please complete your preparations and come to the sound stage."

As Youko and Suguru did one last check on make-up and costume, Sachiko made her way over to Yumi and took her hand. "I am here for you. Just do it like you did during the sound check. You will be fine."

Yumi quickly squeezed her soeur's hand as she was trying to communicate affection, gratitude, and to banish her nerves all at once. She took two deep cleansing breaths, closed her eyes, and visualized the routine. Just as she was opening her eyes, Youko appeared beside her, and whispered, "You are going to be amazing out there, Yumi. I believe in you."

"Thank you, Rosa Chinesis," Yumi said clearly. "I will not let you down."

The Leader smiled and replied, "I know you won't." To the rest of the group, Youko said firmly, "Let's go out there and show people why we are the best group in all Japan. Let's show them that The Yamayurikai does not rebuild, we reload!" The members raised their fists in the air and yelled, "Hai!"

Twenty minutes later, they were whisked from the NHK studios to the waiting bus and the next shoot at the TV Asahi studios for M-STATION. Yumi took the time to reflect on her performance and how she answered the questions during the interview portion. She had forgotten that J-Melo was an English language program. Fortunately, the questions were re-asked in Japanese and there was a delay so that her responses could be relayed in English. She mumbled absently, "Well, I don't think that I embarrassed myself, Oneesama, or the group too bad."

"No, you did not, Yumi," Sachiko responded softly. "You sang beautifully. You did the dance well, and you dealt with the questions very well. I am pleased and so is my Oneesama."

Yumi, shaken from her reverie, sputtered an awkward "Thank you" while drowning once more in her Oneesama's eyes.

Before she knew, the bus had pulled onto the TV Asahi campus, and everyone was piling off the bus. Yoshino sidles up to Yumi and whispers in her ear, "I was watching YouTube on the way here and I saw Morning Musume。15's new video. You know the one that they are cheering on the new members and then they get on a speeding train?"

"Yeah, it's called Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru," replied Yumi. "I love that song, but I like Yuugure wa Ameagari better."

Yoshino waved her hands before her friend could go off on another Morning Musume fangirl rant, "Whatever, I feel just like those new girls. Everything is going so damn fast. I'm kinda scared."

"I'm terrified too, Yoshino." Yumi whispered back. "I keep asking what the hell I got myself into, but you are here, and so are Rei-sama and my Oneesama. I think that we will be okay."

A pair of white arms snaked their way around Yoshino's shoulders from behind, causing the small girl to yelp, and a voice crooned softly, "It's okay Yoshino, I will look after you. You are my cousin, my imouto, and my most important person. I will not allow anything bad to happen to you."

"Rei-chan," she sputtered. "Don't do that! You scared me!" The other members giggled as the tension that had been rising was broken again.

The girls were quickly ushered to their dressing room where they changed into their costumes. It was a much quicker process than at NHK because the recording window was shorter. There were six other acts that were performing on that episode. Make-up was done quickly, and they were ushered onto the stage for a quick sound check. And as they were leaving the stage, they ran into another group being rushed onto the stage.

Yumi nearly fainted when she saw Mizuki Fukumura, the new leader of Morning Musume。15. She looked up and noticed that all of the members were there. She apologized quickly, "I am sorry, Fukumura-san. Are you alright?"

"I am fine, Fukuzawa-san," the older girl said in a gentle voice, reminiscent of Yumi's Oneesama. "I am just glad it was the Yamayurikai that we were following and not Arashi. Those boys have some serious muscles!"

Yumi giggled, and then thought, 'Wait, how does she know who I am?' She swallowed her surprise and asked, "Um, Fukumura-san, how did you know my name? I just joined the Yamayurikai."

"Well, Fukuzawa-san," Kanon Suzuki answered. "Your picture was released when the agency announced the new generation of your group. They released your auditions online as well. Mizupon is a total idol otaku, so she let us know immediately." She hugged Yumi and said, "I am glad that we have such a cute fan and rival."

It was the softest hug that Yumi had ever felt. She realized that it was Suzuki's chest that she was feeling. '_Holy shit, those things are freaking huge!_' she yelled at herself. 'They are even bigger than they looked in her pictures.' She shook her head, "Suzuki-san, how did you know that I was a Momusu fan?"

Kanon laughed, "It was on your profile, and you can call me Kanon if you want because I would love to be your friend."

"I would like that too, Kanon-san. Please call me Yumi. I am in your care," she said happily. 'I can die now, kami-sama.'

A sudden clearing of the throat caused Yumi to turn and she saw a pair of sapphire eyes with lightning dancing in them, "Suzuki-san, I believe that it is your group's turn to do your sound check. Good luck and Gokigenyou." Sachiko said coldly.

The Momusu member laughed again, "Chill out, Ice Princess. I'm not trying to steal your imouto from you. Besides, I don't swing that way."

Before Sachiko could retort, Mizuki pulled out her cell phone and asked, "Yumi-san, can I have your contact info? Now that we are colleagues, it will be nice to have someone outside the Momusu family to talk to."

Faster than anyone could blink, Yumi whipped out her phone, turned on the infrared and squealed, "Absolutely, Mizuki-san, I mean Fukumura-san!"

The rival leader chuckled, "You are welcome to call me Mizuki. Maybe someday we can do a project together. I've heard your voice in the audition videos and I wished that you would have auditioned with us. The only person that I have heard sing Furusato better than you was Abe-sempai."

Yumi blushed, which made another vein pop in Sachiko's forehead, "Well, Fukumura-san," Youko said quickly to forestall Sachiko impending explosion. "Morning Musume's loss is the Yamayurikai's gain. You lost a potentially powerful member, but you obviously didn't lose a fan, right Yumi-chan?" She asked, causing the younger girl to blush again.

By this time, Sachiko had regained her composure, swiftly led the star-struck Yumi back to their dressing room. Once they were in the room, she hugged her soeur fervently. The intensity of the hug and the fear in Sachiko's eyes woke Yumi up, so she kissed the older girl on the cheek, returned the hug gentle affection, and whispered, "I am not going anywhere, Sachiko-Oneesama. I will be by your side for as long as you wish me to."

"What if I wanted you by my side forever?" Asked the raven-haired girl. "What if I wanted you to be mine and only mine until we die, would you?"

To say that Yumi was taken aback would be an understatement. Sachiko had all but proposed marriage to her! Yumi sputter, "What are you saying, Oneesama? I may be a Momusu fan, but I am _your_ soeur. This has to be the will of Maria-sama because I only auditioned so that Yoshino would have some company. I never thought that I would be selected to join, but _you _chose me to be your petite soeur. When we met, I felt a sense of destiny, like I was supposed to be by your side. My place in this world is with you."

Sachiko blushed, and sarcastic voice grumbled, "Why don't you two just kiss for Christ's sake and get it over with. We all know that is where this is headed!" The pair looked up and saw a jealous Sei glaring at Sachiko. The other members giggled, enjoying Yumi and Sachiko's embarrassment.

A knock on the door interrupted the merriment. An efficient feminine voice intoned, "Mizuno-san, we will be needing your group on stage in five minutes to record your segment. Please make any last preparations and please make your way to the soundstage. Thank you, and good luck, Yamayurikai! I am a fan, so please go out there and do your best!"

"Wow, You-chan," Sei smirked. "I didn't know that you had any fans. I thought all the girls loved me."

Eriko, with a dry tone retorted, "It just goes to show that there are fans out there that share your taste in women, Sei." The Rosa Gigantea blushed and had no reply, for once.

"Rosa Foetida," Youko began with some irritation, "Please stop picking on our resident dirty old man. Sei, are you ready to go? Let's go knock them dead!"

Suguru and Alice led the group to soundstage where a bored looking attendant handed each of them their microphones. "Have a great performance," the man said mechanically.

"Wow, nothing fires me up to do my best better than someone who doesn't want to be here," Sei hissed. "With the ratings that this show gets, one would think that they would have hired some pleasanter people. That guy acts like he is just counting the minutes until his next smoke break. Sheesh!"

Youko cleared her throat, "Rosa Gigantea, it's time. Please get your head in the game or these rookies will make you look bad. No snarky comments, Eriko! Professionalism, ladies, is what we are going to deliver, right?"

The mood of the group was all business when they took the stage. There were a number of Lilies, the official Yamayurikai fan group, in the audience and they loudly cheered for their favorite members. Yumi was shocked that there were some calling out her name. Seeing her surprised soeur, Sachiko whispered with a soft smile, "Get used to it."

The music started and all other thoughts were pushed to the side as they performed to an enthusiastic crowd. Everything went off like clockwork, and after the segment, both Youko and Suguru were glowing with happiness. Yumi found herself holding hands with her Oneesama. The heat from the Bouton's hand was nothing compared to the rising heat that Yumi felt in her face. 'Okay, it is official. I am crushing on my Oneesama. I'm not sure how I feel about this though. Maybe I will be over it before I think of doing something stupid like confessing.'

Two days later, Fukuzawa Yuuki was changing his shoes at Hanadera Academy when he was besieged by his classmates, yelling things like: "Yukichi, your sister was on M-STATION last night. Dude, why didn't you tell us that she was so hot!?" "Is your Onee-san at home? Can I meet her?" "Man, if she were my sister, I'd be tempted to incest!"

Yuuki listened to these comments and questions with rising anger. He was about to confront the gathering of boys when he felt a hand on his should, "Let it go, Yukichi." It was his best friend, Kobayashi Masamune. "They are just excited because she mentioned you and this school on M-STATION. It makes them feel close to a celebrity. On the plus side, her group will sell more records among the Hanadera students."

"There is that," Yuuki replied with a wan smile. "I just wish that Yumi could have left me out of it. I just wanted to enjoy my high school life for her because she won't have one."

Kobayashi slapped him on the back, "Well, Yuuki, how does it feel to be the younger brother of Japan's hottest rookie idol?"

"It sucks," he replied succinctly. "The only thing that would be worse would be if Kashiwagi-sempai decided to stop by and visit."

A flirty male voice from behind him said, "Ah Yukichi, I am wounded. I thought you liked me!"

"Oh shit!"

To be continued

**A/N**: Another chapter down. I am so sorry that I suck at updating. Please enjoy and let me know what you thought.


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